Rosie Russell - Five shining stars for Posie Pixie Book 1 from "The Whimsy Wood Series."
Author Sarah Hill and illustrator Sarah Mauchline presents an adorable tale called "Posie Pixie and the Copper Kettle" Book 1.
Readers will enjoy rich words, charming drawings, and a story filled with fun and imagination! I am looking forward to more books from the "Whimsy Wood Series" as "Posie Pixie" has won my heart!
Thank you Sarah Hill for allowing me to win this copy through one of your contests!

VIKING TALES

This book was especially republished to raise funds for these charities & many more...

33% of the publishers profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.

A GREAT READ FOR YOUNG VIKINGS!

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"

There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.

Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long agostories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

33% of the publishers profit from the sale of this book will be donated to UNICEF.

Excerpt from VIKING TALES

ERIC THE RED

.."We will go with you to this strange land" they said.

So all were ready and they pushed off with Eric's family aboard and those friends who had joined him. They took horses and cattle with them, and all kinds of tools and food.

"I do not well know where this land is," Eric said. "Gunnbiorn said only that he sailed east when he came home to Iceland. So I will steer straight west. We shall surely find something. I do not know, either, how long we must go."

So they sailed that strange ocean, never dreaming what might be ahead of them. They found no islands to rest on. They met heavy fogs.

One day as Eric sat in the pilot's seat, he said:

"I think that I see one of Gunnbiorn's ships of ice. Shall we sail up to her and see what kind of a craft she is?"

"Yes," shouted his men.

So they went on toward it.

"It sends out a cold breath," said one of the men.

They all wrapped their cloaks about them.

"It is a bigger boat than I ever saw before," said Eric. "The white mast stands as high as a hill."

"It must be giants that sail in it, frost giants," said another of the men.

But as they came nearer, Eric all at once laughed loudly and called out:

"By Thor, that Gunnbiorn was a foolish fellow. Why, look! It is only a piece of floating ice such as we sometimes see from Iceland. It is no ship, and there is no one on it."

His men laughed and one called to another and said:

"And you thought of frost giants!"

Then they sailed on for days and days. They met many of these icebergs. On one of them was a white bear.

"Yonder is a strange pilot," Eric laughed.

"I have seen bears come floating so to the north shore of Iceland," an old man said. "Perhaps they come from the land that we are going to find."

One day Eric said:

"I see afar off an iceberg larger than any one yet. Perhaps that is our white land."

But even as he said it he felt his boat swing under his hand as he held the tiller. He bore hard on the rudder, but he could not turn the ship.

"What is this?" he cried. "A strong river is running here. It is carrying our ship away from this land. I cannot make head against it. Out with the oars!"

So with oars and sail and rudder they fought against the current, but it took the boat along like a chip, and after a while they put up their oars and drifted.

"Luck has taken us into its own hands," Eric laughed. "But this is as good a way as another."

Sometimes they were near enough to see the land, then they were carried out into the sea and thought that they should never see any land again.

"Perhaps this river will carry us to a whirlpool and suck us under," the men said.

But at last Eric felt the current less strong under his hand.

"To the oars again!" he called.

Table of Contents for VIKING TALES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT THE SAGAS WERE

PART I: IN NORWAY

THE BABY

THE TOOTH THRALL

OLAF'S FARM

OLAF'S FIGHT WITH HAVARD

FOES'-FEAR

HARALD IS KING

HARALD'S BATTLE

GYDA'S SAUCY MESSAGE

THE SEA FIGHT

KING HARALD'S WEDDING

KING HARALD GOES WEST-OVER-SEAS

PART II : WEST-OVER-SEAS

HOMES IN ICELAND

ERIC THE RED

LEIF AND HIS NEW LAND

WINELAND THE GOOD

DESCRIPTIVE NOTES

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

A READING LIST

GEOGRAPHY

CUSTOMS

MYTHOLOGY

INCIDENTS

CREDIBILITY OF STORY

OTHER SAGAS EASILY ACCESSIBLE

A PRONOUNCING INDEX

A GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION

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Rosie RussellFive shining stars for Posie Pixie Book 1 from "The Whimsy Wood Series."
Author Sarah Hill and illustrator Sarah Mauchline presents an adorable tale called "Posie Pixie and the Copper Kettle" Book 1.
Readers will enjoy rich words, charming drawings, and a story filled with fun and imagination! I am looking forward to more books from the "Whimsy Wood Series" as "Posie Pixie" has won my heart!
Thank you Sarah Hill for allowing me to win this copy through one of your contests!

DBR BooksWhimsy Wood is a magical and inspiring place where good things happen, and treasures can be found in the oddest of places! Posie Pixie’s unusual ‘finds’ enlightens one to the concept of everything and everyone has a purpose in life. Engaging, whimsical, and endearing, Posie Pixie takes us on another adventure in her enchanted forest Whimsy Wood, to once again capture the heart and true magic of kindness and friendship!

PHILLIP DAVIESAn enchanting cornucopia of welsh legends.Dylan Thomas told me that he loved the fragments that he had been able to read.These tales have captured the mystery and majesty of the Principality.Well done.Dai iawn.

MichaelThe Kalevala, the book that inspired Tolkien to write the Silmarillion, is not for the faint of heart! at 22,975 verses it is truly an Epic Poem. A fantastic translation for any student of finnish culture - the Kalevala translation by JM Crawford is one of the few that attempts to preserve the original finnish metre! A great work, and fast delivery from Abela!

KarlMany people have heard of the Hopi Indians, but few know their history. Written at the turn of the 20th Century, this great book reminded me of a civilisation that is fast disappearing. Abela Publishing were fast and efficient, can't fault them!

AnonymousThe great Incan civilization had a huge affect on the culture of South America, great to read about their tales in this volume! Very fast delivery and easy checkout with Abela! Being able to pay by Paypal was a real plus!

Sam CrossA gateway to the world of Russian myth and legend, a truly interesting (and entertaining) read. The Story of Ivan and the Daughter of the Sun was especially good! Excellent service from Abela, as always.

Gerry O'Donohoereally pleased to get a book of traditional Celtic fairy tales to read to the kids, the book benefits the princes trust too - an added bonus. Payment and delivery were really easy, I would recommend Abela publishing

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